Haha, that's what video chatting seems like... to me, at least. My girlfriend video chats on skype with her family and friends back in Sacramento all the time (like seriously every other day or something) so it is always really easy for me to just join in on her conversations. I usually avoid the crazy new technology, but today I decided to see what it was all about.
Skype is pretty unreal. My biggest problem was not knowing where to look! I always wanted to look at the screen but then my eyes were obviously not looking at the person I was talking to. But if you look at the camera you can't tell if you are really looking straight into the picture, because you are looking at the camera... Very unsettling. Other than that, skype was effective and pretty awesome. You get to see the faces and emotions of those you are communicating with. I think this can help keep your mind from wandering too much (at least it helps me). Plus, they can show you things instead of having to just try and describe it sufficiently, which can be difficult.
There are definite advantages to video communication of this manner. As an educator, you could more effectively present information to students who miss valuable instruction in the classroom. Or, you could have a sort of live-action video podcast thing going on. In conclusion, television telephones are a great invention.
